The present invention relates to a compressed air dryer. It finds particular application in conjunction with reducing oil expelled to atmosphere when the air dryer is purged and will be described with particular reference thereto. It will be appreciated, however, that the invention is also amenable to other applications.
The purge exhaust of a compressed air regenerative dryer used on air braked vehicles normally consists of water mixed with trace amounts of oil. The oil may be introduced into the air dryer from the compressor. The water and oil are expelled from purge exhaust valve during a purge cycle of the air dryer. More specifically, the water and oil are expelled to atmosphere. Exhausting oil to atmosphere is undesirable. In addition, the oil tends to accumulate over time around the purge exhaust valve. This oil accumulation frequently leads customers to incorrectly believe the compressor is prematurely worn resulting in unnecessary compressor replacement.
Currently, compressed air condensate management separators including baffles and coalescing elements are used to separate oil and emulsions from the condensate water of industrial compressed air systems. However, these separators tend to be bulky and are typically designed for stationary industrial compressed air applications—not suitable to be mounted on motor vehicles.
The present invention provides a new and improved apparatus and method which addresses the above-referenced problems.